The making of the modern philippines : pieces of a jigsaw state / Philip Bowing

Includes bibliographical references and index.

List of figures -- List of maps -- Preface -- Introduction -- Fractured geograqphy, complex identity -- More church that state -- Uncle sam's brown boys -- Choices of evils -- Old wine in new bottles -- Marcos: power corrupts absolutely -- Ladders and snakes -- Straight paths and road blocks -- Man with a gun -- Imperial manila's weak grip -- Lost advantage -- The root of poverty -- An empowered economy -- Beyond the bayan -- Of free trade and the short arm of the law -- Happy families of conglomerate capitalism -- Mindanao: beckoning frontier -- Moros, datus, military and more -- Religion on its sleeve -- Left field lies fallow -- Foreign policy: all at sea -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.

"Taking the history of the Philippines from its pre-colonial era, through its Spanish and American occupations and up to the modern day, it unravels the complex politics, culture, peoples and economy of this rich and unique nation."